Two indicted after allegedly cashing stolen checks from Rochester company

Saturday

Nov 24, 2012 at 3:15 AMNov 24, 2012 at 10:35 AM

By Jim Haddadinjhaddadin@fosters.com

DOVER — Two men have been indicted on forgery charges after allegedly breaking into a Rochester man's truck, swiping his briefcase and writing themselves checks from the bank account of his construction company.

William Ayers, 46, and Ralph Chambers, 39, are now being sought by police in connection with the crime, according to the victim, Rochester resident John Cicchetto.

Cicchetto said his truck was parked outside his home when it was broken into sometime before 5:40 a.m. on Aug. 2.

“I noticed that the pick-up door was partially open, and that things had been shuffled around in my truck, and I thought, 'Uh oh,' so I called the Rochester Police Department right away,” he said.

Cicchetto said a briefcase was taken, which contained three blank checks tied to the bank account of his company, Nopano Construction, as well as a toolbox containing several valuable items.

On advice from police, Cicchetto spoke with a branch manager at the Federal Savings Bank in Rochester and asked her to put a stop on the three stolen checks. She missed the opportunity by a matter of moments, according to Cicchetto.

“As she was typing it into the computer, it came back that they were being cashed at the main bank in Dover,” he said.

Ayers allegedly cashed a forged check in the amount of $869, according to a November indictment. Chambers allegedly cashed out $1,022.

Cicchetto said police have one solid piece of evidence linking Chambers and Ayers with the crime: The two suspects reportedly handed the bank teller authentic photo identifications in order to cash the checks at Federal Savings Bank in Dover.

A Dover police spokesman who was on duty Friday said he was not familiar with the incident, and was not in a position to release information publicly about the indictments.

Ayers has a last known address of Verrill Road in Bristol, N.H. Chambers was last known to be a resident of 5A Granite St. in Rochester.

They each face a single Class B felony charge of forgery. The charge carries a $4,000 fine, and a prison sentence of between three and a half and seven years.